The punchline is the government is a joke and we proved it by making a mockery of it. This is the culmination of a massive propaganda campaign to convince people that the government is inept and business is competent. It is a long con to give monied interests more power and control.
They have been using psychology against us. Propaganda becomes public relations. It feels like you are being gaslight because you are.
This would not be tolerated if it was in a personal relationship. We frown upon relationships that use manipulation and mistruths to abuse people. But for some reason it is okay if the government does it.
Politicians are free to lie, use the best psychological manipulation, and gaslight the fuck out of us because it is allowed. Just think about what kind of system we have created and how technology has influenced it.
It is past time for a new set of rules that recognizes how easily it is to manipulate people and setting the guardrails to prevent it.
What has become clear is we cannot allow the concept of decorum to mislead us. We must demand a new social contract with modern rules taking into account the reality of our world now. Anything less is conceding our rights to the monied minority who have already captured business and our government.